Six Months
by VioletHills
Summary: A lot can happen in six months.  For Will and Alicia, it just might mean time is finally on their side.  Post 3.15.
1. March

_March_

He's allowed to be here today because several of the partners need clarification on his old cases: the ones Diane parcelled out like treats on Halloween, or tricks, maybe, depending on the client. He walks into the building all suited up and it doesn't seem different, like he's just taken two weeks off from work and gone on vacation or something. This easy feeling lasts for about three minutes: from the time it takes for him to get on the elevator to the 28th floor until the time he makes it past the foyer and into the office proper. He's still addressed as Mr. Gardner by the associates but the vibe is different. There are dropped conversations and covert glances and suddenly, he gets what Alicia means when she used to say it was all _too much_.

And, all of a sudden, all he wants to do is see her – _Alicia_ – because even if everything else has changed, he knows the feeling that inevitably washes over him when he's in her presence never will. If fifteen years apart has told him anything, it's that she's the one thing in his life that will always remain constant, even if those feelings might not be reciprocated on her end. And those feelings? He needs them right now, if only to bury all the other slightly panicky ones making their way to the surface.

He rounds the corner, quickly bypassing Eli's office, and there she is sitting at her desk. Like rare earth magnets, she directs her attention upwards to meet his eyes almost exactly as he seeks it. His feet know where to go all on their own and within seconds, he is leaning against the doorjamb and she's there in front of him. They're standing close. He wouldn't have to reach his arm up very far – two inches, maybe – if he wanted to touch her. It occurs to him, suddenly, that they more often than not stand like this: closer than strictly necessary, and it's really no wonder that rumours about them sleeping together had surfaced almost as soon as she had started working for him three years ago.

She smiles, and it's not the bright bright one that makes him believe everything is right with the world, but it's enough. "Hi Will," she says, voice low and intimate even amongst chaos.

"Is your next question going to be 'how are you doing'?" he asks, voice a little wry.

"Do you want that to be my next question?"

He shrugs, smiles, and she nods, understanding.

"Court today?" he asks, giving himself a second to rue over how odd that question is, as if he hadn't been the one assigning her cases just a couple of weeks before.

"Not scheduled," she answers.

"So you'll be—"

"—I'll be around."

"Okay," he says and he reaches for her wrist, squeezes it a little, "Then I'll see you around."

An hour and a half later, when he's walking out of one office and she's making her way to the conference room, she slips him a neatly folded-up note.

'_Lunch later?' _it reads and he has a stupid smile on his face when he walks into Julius' office.

He thinks he could probably text her his answer, but it wouldn't be nearly as charming. It's this and only this reason that has him scrawling underneath her contrasting neat script: _Love to._

He places the note on her desk, and this time her response comes back to him through Eli Gold.

"Will, please, have a seat," Eli says, "I have a few items I'd like to discuss while you're here."

Will shuts the door behind him and just as he's about to rush through the business end of things as quickly as possible, Eli continues, "And before I forget, Alicia wanted me to give you this." He hands Will an envelope, sealed, and with his name written across the front. "She had to run off somewhere." Eli waves his hand vaguely in the air as if he couldn't be bothered to remember.

"Thanks," Will responds. He slips it into the folder he's holding, all nonchalant, and spends the rest of the meeting futilely ignoring the urges to just rip it open. They're not quite finished when one of Eli's clients – political, he gathers – bursts past the receptionist and straight into the office, demanding Eli to turn on CNN.

"Call me and we'll finish our conversation another time," Will says, excusing himself as Eli's face turns ashen and mutters something inaudible in response.

Glancing at the clock, he sees there's a good twenty minutes before his last meeting with Diane. He winds through the halls until he comes across an empty conference room, one of the smaller ones unlikely to be used for meetings at this time. Flicking on the lights, he slides his finger under the envelope flap and pulls out the note – the same one as before, but with a few more lines of writing tagged on the end:

_Heading to the courthouse after all. Probably won't be long, but don't wait for me at the office. You'll be done before I get back. If you still want to get lunch, it might have to be a late one._

Will thinks this time he'll have to resort back to a more prosaic type of communication and he pulls out his cellphone, ready to compose a message to Alicia when—

"Hey! Kalinda." He pulls open the office door and stops Kalinda in her tracks halfway down the hallway.

She backtracks. "What's up?"

"Where are you heading right now?"

"I have to get some information to the courthouse."

"Will you see Alicia there?"

"Yeah," Kalinda looks at him oddly, "It's her case."

"Great," he says, "I need you to get something to her."

She gives him one of her sphinxlike smiles, "Whatever it is, you better make it quick. I'm in a rush."

He makes sure he has his wallet on him, grabs the letter, envelope, a pen, and his clipboard, and leaves the rest of his things where they are. "I'll ride down with you."

.

Kalinda doesn't read the note. When Will places the creased and re-creased piece of paper back into the envelope – crossing out his name written in Alicia's distinct handwriting and replacing it with hers – Kalinda takes it wordlessly and slips it into her leather jacket. Will hadn't explicitly told her not to read it, and by her guess, probably wouldn't care if she did, but she wouldn't. And he knows that. It's a trust thing.

It doesn't stop her from later observing and making certain assumptions when she hands the note over to Alicia, though.

They're going through pre-trial motions in the courtroom and Alicia is walking back towards her seat when Kalinda hurries up the aisle.

"Thanks," Alicia whispers, taking the folder from Kalinda.

Kalinda nods. "And this," she says, reaching into her pocket, "is from Will."

Alicia's serious face changes, just for a second, into a pleased one. A second and then the front returns. "Thanks Kalinda," she says again, and yes, there are the makings of a smile there.

After court, Alicia tells Caitlin to head back to the firm. "I have something to take care of," she says, handing the files off to the young attorney.

Kalinda can't help it. She falls in step beside Alicia and gives her occasional glances, not meant to be surreptitious at all.

"What?" Alicia says finally.

And it is actually a slightly _amused_ 'what'. Things have been gradually getting better between the two of them lately and Kalinda doesn't like to admit she _needs_ anything, but she thinks Alicia's friendship might be the closest any living or inanimate object has ever come. "What do you need to take care of?" Kalinda asks her now.

"Hunger."

"So, you're going to pick something up?"

They're nearing their cars, parked on the street. "No. I'm going out for lunch," Alicia answers. She's parked further down the street than Kalinda and when they pass her SUV Alicia looks pointedly at her. "Wasn't that your car?"

Kalinda ignores the question, checks her watch instead. "It's nearly three. A little late for lunch, isn't it?"

Alicia chuckles, keeps walking as Kalinda finally stops. "Goodbye Kalinda."

.

His note had been simple: _Our usual place._

It hasn't been 'their place' for months now, still, right before she pulls out into traffic she shoots him a text: _Twenty-six minutes away. _Twenty-six minutes from the courthouse and eighteen minutes from the office during typical mid-day traffic: she had clocked it once.

The bell above the door rings when she enters the cheery family diner tucked between a used bookstore and a shop selling clothes for pets. Even though it's small in square footage, it doesn't feel cramped and the pale yellow walls lend a splash of sunny optimism even on the worst days. After that first night together in the spring, Will had brought her here, around the corner from the hotel to this place that serves all-day breakfasts. All these years and he had still remembered how much she loves breakfast foods. Hard to forget, maybe, since she used to insist on pancakes for dinner and cereal for lunch.

He's sitting at the back of the restaurant, getting up to greet her and giving her a hug, one they had both wanted to exchange hours ago in the office. Alicia had forgotten how snug these two-person booths are, but her body doesn't. Her knees touch his and instantly, the current pulses through her as if they are completing a circuit. The memories of how they used to tease each other under the table come rushing back and a look in Will's eyes suggests he feels it too.

"Are you hungry?" he asks, trying to disperse the palpable energy.

She takes a beat too long to answer. "Starving."

Alicia tries to tell herself that this is dangerous, dangerous. They've been here before, after all. In fact, they had been _exactly_ here, trying to decide whether their one night liaison would, in fact, remain just _one _night.

"Oh man," Will breathes out, scrubbing a hand over his face.

The waitress shows up and both of them have never been so glad. "What can I get for you?"

"A time machine," Will mutters and Alicia nudges his foot. "Sorry," he says to the waitress, recovering with a winning grin, "We're not quite read to order yet, but could you get us a coffee and a tea – jasmine – please."

She doesn't like people ordering for her, usually, but Will has always had a knack for knowing what she feels like. A lift of her eyebrow and the question on her mind is asked nonverbally.

"Well, you prefer jasmine tea," Will says, "Unless you're sick. And I knew you would want a tea today instead of coffee—" He reaches for her right hand, unfurls her fingers and holds her wrist steady: she's shaking, "—because you've already had too much caffeine today."

"Lucky guess," she responds, smiling. She doesn't pull back when he goes to rest their loosely held hands on the table. She counts their silence in heartbeats, and after three, Alicia surprises herself when the next words out of her mouth are 'I miss you, Will' said in a hushed tone.

He grips her hand and she thinks the action must be unconscious because his expression hasn't changed. They've perfected their poker faces over the years.

"I need you to justify this," she continues, voice so quiet that he actually has to lean in a little in order to hear her, "because I can't—I won't be able to."

"You want me to give us grounds for a retrial," he says. He's trying to make her laugh.

She doesn't. She knows it's unfair of her to make him go through this, but maybe she doesn't know how to stop hurting him.

He answers because he'll always answer her. "Well, I'm not your boss anymore."

They're operating on technicalities now, both aware that him being her boss had only been one portion of their whole plight.

Still, she opens her mouth, hears herself say: "No, you're not."

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><p><em>.<em>

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><p><em>AN: This might turn into an M-rated fic (unless there are staunch objectors?)_

_Please review. I'd love to know what you're thinking._


	2. April

_April_

"I never got a chance to tell you this the first time, but if you hurt her I'll kill you."

This is how Owen greets Will when he opens the door to Alicia's apartment. Will looks to have just finished a conversation with somebody on his cellphone because his head had snapped up in confusion when Owen had started to talk.

"Hi Owen," Will says in return, blinking a bit stupidly.

"There's a rodent infestation in my house," Owen replies and when Will only looks more bewildered, adds, "In case you were wondering why I was here answering the door."

"I wasn't."

"Oh. Alright."

There is an awkward pause and then, "I remember our interactions being a good deal friendlier than this," Will says.

Owen cracks, laughing, "I'm just trying to do my due diligence as a brother." He finally gestures for Will to enter. "Come in. Alicia's changing. Lock the door behind you, would you?" He heads back into the kitchen and resumes his previous task of digging through Alicia's fridge. Will follows a few seconds later, shrugging off his jacket and revealing him in jeans and a dark blue dress shirt, buttons undone with a t-shirt underneath. Owen gives him a onceover while sipping his red wine. "Casual," he comments.

"Haven't you heard?" Will replies wryly, "I've got six months off."

"Oh, I've heard. Alicia's not working under you anymore—" he pauses "—at least, not professionally." He grins slyly and then turns to grab another glass from the cabinet. "Wine?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

"Red or white? We've got both open. I like red but Alicia prefers white."

"I know," Will says, smiling, "And white's fine."

Owen grabs the open bottle of white from the mini-fridge, pouring as he says, "You have good timing. The kids just left for Peter's twenty minutes ago." He hands Will the glass, eyes the expression on the other man's face, "Unless it's not good timing so much as previously arranged."

Will shrugs, and Owen might not be as good at reading people as his older sister but he can tell that there is nervousness there. "A little bit of both," Will answers.

"Do you plan on telling them?" Owen prods, "Ever?"

Will shifts uncomfortably. "Everything's up to Alicia."

"But you wouldn't mind?"

"I offered once. Before." Will waves his hand and Owen knows it to mean the first time. "To meet them. Formally."

"And?"

"Alicia said it wasn't necessary."

"Hm." Owen stores this information for use at a later date.

Will clears his throat, deftly changes the topic. "So, you have a rodent infestation?"

"Oh, he does not have an _infestation_," Alicia says, making her appearance. "So melodramatic."

"Rat babies, Alicia," Owen says, "There are rat babies in my home."

She rolls her eyes at him. "Did you call the exterminator?"

"Yes," he replies, "But I won't be able to get back into my apartment until after the weekend. Tuesday morning at the earliest."

"So, what you're saying is you'll be eating my food for the next four days."

Owen smiles as sweetly as he can while watching, with interest, his sister interact with her boyfriend (or lover or whatever). Alicia hadn't kissed Will hello – not that Owen had really expected her to; she'd always been a bit reticent about personal displays – but there had been a light touch on the shoulder.

Alicia had been a bit crabby after work, doing a good job of hiding it from Zach and Grace, but Owen knows her so much better and he had recognised the slightly tense way she had composed herself. Now, he watches as she lets Will cover her hand with his, returning his smile with a more relaxed one of her own. When Will offers her his glass of wine, Owen wonders if maybe he had chosen white because he had known Alicia would want some. It makes the protective brother in him smile, to know that his big sister has somebody who thinks about what she might need after a long day at work, somebody who's willing to take care of her for a change.

"So, what're you guys doing tonight?" Owen asks and then narrows his eyes comically, "Or do I not want to know?"

Alicia glares daggers at him, opens her mouth to respond, and he's saved by her phone ringing.

Will picks it up from the edge of the counter, handing it to Alicia without glancing at the caller id. This small gesture makes Owen certain that he likes Will a whole lot more than he ever did when he had first met Peter (comparing Will to current Peter would be completely pointless seeing as how current Peter fucked hookers and destroyed his sister's life and _nothing_ could redeem him in Owen's book). Owen remembers how Peter had always wanted to know who Alicia was talking to – sneaking a peek at the caller id on her cell or casually glancing at the home phone display in another room – and it had pissed him off to no end.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Owen asks cheekily.

She points threateningly at him before answering into the receiver, "Alicia Florrick."

"Work?" Will asks when she hangs up moments later.

She nods, "Sorry."

Owen can tell she's apologising for having their evening plans spoiled, but not for the fact that she has to go back to work. There's no guilt or shame in her tone and Will's response doesn't elicit any either. Owen adds another checkmark next to Will's name.

"Do you want me to give you a lift? I could wait for you nearby. We could still get dinner after."

His sister's answer gets muffled a little as she wanders back into her room – Will following her – to put on the clothes she had just taken off, but Owen gathers enough to know that she's declined and that it'll be another late night. He sighs at the hours she keeps, grabs his wine and a bag of chips from the cupboard and wanders into the living room. The television is set to the CW when he turns it on, and he quickly changes it to CNN, finding that the news is always more palatable when it's Anderson Cooper reporting.

A good twenty minutes later – and Owen knows it doesn't take _that_ long for his sister to get ready, but as much as he teases, he really doesn't need to know about her sex life – Alicia's head pops into the room.

"Will's gonna stick around," she says, "Be nice."

He grins. "When am I not?"

There are murmured words at the front door and then she leaves and Will returns. "How do you feel about pizza?"

Owen thinks and then, "You know what I could really go for? Wings."

"Pizza _and _wings, then? I'll treat."

_Oh yeah_, Owen thinks, _He definitely likes Will_.

.

Where Alicia finds Owen sprawled out and asleep on the couch, Will is still awake and sitting at the kitchen counter, playing a game on her iPad.

"I thought you would have left," she whispers. She watches as he lets himself lose the game before turning around and pulling her between his legs.

He hugs her around the waist. "I said I would wait for you."

"Yeah, but it's two in the morning." She rests her arms on his shoulders. "You didn't have to."

"I'm a man of my word," he replies, grinning.

She grins back. "I guess that means I have to be a woman of my word, too…" She begins to strip walking backwards into her bedroom, pulling him inside before closing the door behind them.

.

"So, how long have you been in love with my sister?"

Alicia stops midway through opening her bedroom door. She's just finished taking a shower and getting dressed for the day, but apparently Owen and Will have already gotten down to business.

She hears Will groan. "God, isn't it a little early for this?"

"What? I've let you have your one cup of coffee," Owen replies. "You can stir pancake batter and talk at the same time. So? How long?"

Alicia's stomach grumbles at the mention of food, contemplates just walking into the kitchen and interrupting them.

But then Will answers, "A while," and Alicia can't move.

"'A while' like a month? A year? Five years?" Owen goads.

Will mutters something that Alicia can't hear, but that Owen clearly can because he says, "Well, _shit_." And then adds, "That can't possibly be true."

"Why not?"

"Because that would mean you haven't loved anybody since your second year of law school," Owen shoots back and Alicia finds herself holding her breath because yeah, 'oh shit' is right.

"So?" Will says, as if he doesn't see the point to Owen's question.

"So, I mean, haven't you been in relationships since then? A _lot_ of relationships?"

"Not so much relationships as… relations."

Alicia winces. She's had sex with the same man for sixteen, seventeen years and Will's been going around, free to have _relations_. Sometimes she wants to go ahead and ask Will how she compares but she's not that insecure and—

"But I've only been in love with your sister."

–then there's that.

Owen's voice comes up again. "Does she know this?" There's silence from Will and she imagines he's shrugging because Owen barges on. "You should tell her."

More silence. Then, "I don't think she's ready to hear something like that."

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._ Alicia curses. Will's right. She doesn't want Will to be right. God_dammit_, it's not supposed to get _this_ complicated again _this _quickly. Why can't they just have great sex?

"It doesn't matter," she hears Owen say, "You should tell her anyway."

_Shut up, Owen_, Alicia wants to scream.

"She used to call you 'Mr. Georgetown', you know," Owen says, his voice getting giddy as it does when he's revealing a secret.

"What?" Will chuckles.

"Back in the day," Owen explains. "She talked about you. And wrote about you. A lot."

Oh, now Alicia wants to strangle him. She has to put an end to this before Owen goes ahead and reveals just _how much_ Will's feelings hadn't gone unreciprocated back then. And maybe even now. Oh _fuck_.

Alicia quietly eases her door shut again before purposely knocking her purse against it and making a big to-do in exiting her room. "What smells so good?" she calls out, walking into the kitchen and dropping some files on the counter.

"Your favourite, sis," Owen answers, "Your handy boyfriend is making us pancakes."

"He's making _me_ pancakes," Alicia retorts.

As she goes to pour herself a cup of coffee, she sees Owen catch Will's attention and knows they're exchanging a look over the fact that Alicia hadn't protested to the use of the word 'boyfriend'. Honestly, though, with everything she's heard this morning, 'boyfriend' isn't even close to being a concern.

* * *

><p>She's not lying as much, but she's still lying. She had broken it off with Will in the fall because it had been getting way too complicated at work: Diane had started watching them way too closely and Alicia had been ninety-nine percent certain her boss more than suspected Alicia's extracurricular activities with her <em>other<em> boss. Having to make clandestine plans with Will so they could sneak in some alone time while at work – because, let's be honest, that's where she (and he used to) spend the majority of their day – took a lot out of her. When it worked out, it had been worth it. After all, sex does a fantastic job relieving stress and tension, but Alicia hadn't been lying to Grace either. All the sneaking around had been distracting. Being in the same _room_ as Will had been distracting.

Now, well, there's a separation of Church and State, so to speak. There's work and then there's Will. There's no longer work _and_ Will. Still, this doesn't change the fact that she's started lying to her children again, although, she doesn't like thinking about it like that. She's more… obscuring the truth. She wants to believe that if Grace and Zach were to ever outright ask her about her relationship with Will, that she would tell them. They never would, of course, and maybe that's her cowardice showing.

She knows there are things that need to be said, but the only person she can talk to about this – besides Will, and if she wants to gain perspective, it shouldn't be with the other half of the equation – is Owen. And Kalinda. Because while neither she nor Will had ever told her, Kalinda has ways of figuring things out. But, Alicia's still not talking to Kalinda about anything not work-related. Even though she kind of misses it.

.

Kalinda's eyeing her from across the table. It's late and the buzz from discovering new evidence that could make their case has long passed. This is Alicia's case – she's first chair – and while grateful for all of the help she's receiving from the first-year associates, she's irked that they're still so chipper at this hour. Their eager, young faces remind her that she's not twenty-six anymore, and that's so very annoying.

"Alicia," Kalinda says, "Could I speak to you for a moment?"

The two of them step outside the large conference room. "What is it, Kalinda?" she snaps.

"You're looking a little—"

"—what? I'm looking a little what?"

"Frustrated." Kalinda tilts her head. "Maybe you should take a break."

"We're due in court the day after tomorrow. There's no time for a break."

Kalinda gestures through the glass. "You've been on this case for months and you have half a dozen first years in there checking and triple-checking every document." Off Alicia's glare, Kalinda continues, "You look like you're about to snap at the next person to ask you a question. It's making it a little tense in there."

"Is there a point, Kalinda?"

"I think it might do everybody some good if you were to take an hour." Kalinda deliberately emphasizes her final words. "Relieve some… tension." Somehow Kalinda's already got her car keys, which she now dangles. "Go take a ride."

.

There's a knock on his door and when he answers, it's with a surprised, "Alicia—"

She strides in, shuts the door behind her, and cuts him off. "—I want you." Before he can respond, she's already got her tongue in his month and her hands underneath his shirt.

_Yeah, okay_, Will thinks. He could go along with this.

He crushes her against the wall, nudging her legs apart with one of his, applies slight pressure. She's working her mouth against his, nibbling on his bottom lip and riling him up. She braces herself with hands on his shoulders as she goes to kick off her heels, hissing when the lost inches cause her core to sink harder onto his thigh.

"I thought you were preparing for court," he says, splaying his hands across her ass. She's rubbing herself against him, trying to get herself off quick and dirty. It's the hottest thing he's ever seen.

"I have to go back," she pants. "I have to go back in later."

He descends on her exposed neck, licking and sucking on her pulse point. She's desperate against him, close but not close enough. "What do you need?" he says into her ear.

"Pants," she says and he releases her, lets her drop to her feet. He unbuttons her black pants, lets that drop too, and then it's back against the wall she goes.

"Like this?" he says, palming her over her panties.

"Mhm." Her eyes are wide and staring as she snakes her own hand down and grips his wrist. She entwines their fingers and then slides them both underneath the now soaking fabric.

"_Fuck_, Alicia," he gasps as they both work between her legs.

"Right there," she moans, her head falling back and her eyes slamming shut. "_Will_."

"It's okay," he says, applying more pressure and then more still. She bites her lip, tries to stay silent, and he senses her fingers stopping just as his increase in speed. "I've got you," he whispers and feels her buckle against him, a wave of relief flowing from her body.

His lips linger on her forehead until she finds her footing again. She pulls back and gives him a kiss, chaste and sweet. There's a glint in her eye, though, as she fingers the edge of his white tee.

"When do you have to head back?" he asks, even as he's unbuttoning her pale violet shirt.

When he's completed his task, she bends down to pick up her pants and walks into his living room to drape them both on the couch. He follows her, of course, and when he's close enough, she kisses him again. This time, not so chaste.

She leads with her lips, luring him down the hallway and into his room. She pulls his shirt off, pushes him back onto the bed, and finally replies, "We've got time."

He grabs her by the waist, settles her on top of him. "I like that answer."

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><p><em>AN: Once again, I'd love to hear your thoughts._


	3. May

_May_

"This is an intervention."

Will barely gets his front door open before Sara is slipping through. "Good morning to you, too, Sara," he says sarcastically, "Sure, why don't you come on in?"

"I'm guessing Aubrey isn't here yet?"

"What?" Will follows his older sister into the kitchen – _his_ kitchen, he reminds himself, because Sara has a tendency to take over any space she enters – where she is already judging his unwashed dinner dishes from the night before. "Aubrey's coming too?"

"Intervention, remember?" Sara says, as if Will has any clue what's going on.

"Remind me again, why is it that I need an intervention?"

"Because your job was your life and now that you no longer have a job, you have no life." Will whirls around at the sound of his little sister's voice. He hadn't even heard her come in. "Hi Will," Aubrey says, striding up to give him a hug.

"Hey sis," he replies, then asks, "Who told you guys anyway?"

"Mom called."

Will rolls his eyes, "Of course she did."

"She'd also like to know why you're still single," Sara says.

"And," Aubrey continues, "She wants us to, quote, help you find a nice girl to start a family with."

Will shakes his head. "Unbelievable."

"That's mom," Sara says. She's still poking around his kitchen cabinets.

"Are you looking for something in particular?" Will asks.

She pulls out a box and eyes the label. "Since when do you drink jasmine tea, William?"

"Give me that," he says, snatching it out of her hand and stuffing it back into place. He shoves her out of the kitchen. "Don't you have work today?"

"I thought I'd come around and see you first," she answers.

"How thoughtful," he scoffs, "But I really don't need my older sister checking up on me, thanks."

"Lilly misses you," Sara says with a wily smile.

"Hey," Will says, "Don't try to butter me up by bringing my niece into the conversation."

"Well, now that you don't have a job, you can see her more."

He throws his hands up. "Guys, I'm still a lawyer. Everything's fine, I swear. It's just six months."

"_Just_ six months?" Aubrey says, "You and Sara are workaholics. Six months is a lifetime for you guys." She flops down on his couch. "What exactly are you doing with all of this free time?"

Will's about to answer that it's none of their business when there's a knock on his door. "That better not be our mother," Will says, not even remotely joking.

He hears Aubrey and Sara laughing as he walks down the hallway. He's really starting to think that it might be his mother on the other side of the door; in which case, he'll be planning a nice slow death for his sisters. A quick glance through the peephole reveals that it's—

"Alicia!" he says. She's dressed for work – of course she is, it's ten a.m. on a Tuesday – and smells amazing.

She smiles. "Hey."

Will hears footsteps approaching seconds before he can tell Alicia that he has company. "Oh god," he says to her in a low voice, "I am so sorry."

Alicia's eyebrows furrow a little as she peers around him.

"Who's at the door?" Aubrey calls out. She and Sara crowd him, one on each side.

"Um. Hi," Alicia says, shifts a little on her heels.

Sara gives him a nudge and a conspiratorial smile and it suddenly brings Will back to elementary school. "William," she says, all bossy, "I think some introductions are in order."

"Actually, you guys have already met," he replies, "Uh, really briefly. A long time ago. You probably don't remember."

Will hears himself speaking and inwardly grimaces. Smooth Will is gone. Smooth Will has left the building. It can't be helped. He is currently being surrounded by the three most important women in his life, all of whom – at one time or another – have made him feel awkward and embarrassed and so very young. Normally he's fine taking them one, maybe even two, at a time, but all at once? It's a bit claustrophobic. Physically painful, even, because Sara and Aubrey and Alicia are also the three people in the world he loves the most. And to be surrounded by that, well, let's just say that's a lot of love in the room.

"Oh my god," Sara suddenly snaps her fingers, "You're Alicia, right?"

"Oh yeah," Aubrey exclaims, "Alicia Florrick. I thought you looked familiar. I was trying to place you."

Alicia smiles, but Will notices that it's her business smile, her polite smile. "I'm afraid I've been in the news way too much these past two years."

Aubrey nods. "Collateral from having your husband in public office, right?"

Alicia glances at Will. "You could say that."

"Sorry," Aubrey says, covering her mouth, "I probably shouldn't have said that."

"Aubrey never really thinks before she speaks," Will says. His voice is teasing and Aubrey shoves him a little.

"Don't worry about it," Alicia replies.

"We're Will's sisters, by the way," Aubrey says, "I'm Aubrey. That's Sara. We've been visiting our currently unemployed brother here."

Will sees how Alicia's eyes widen before a flash of recognition crosses her face. Everybody's grown up, but he knows she remembers how the four of them all met once the summer just before second year.

So, Will realises, does Sara, whose brain has had time to fill in the details. "No," she says now, "I remember you with a different last name. Not Florrick."

Alicia is amused, he can tell. "Cavanaugh," she supplies.

"Yes, that's it," Sara's smile widens as she proffers a handshake, "It's nice to meet you again, Alicia Cavanaugh."

Now Alicia's smile is genuine, if a bit shy.

"Come in, come in," Sara says. "We're all just crowding in the doorway."

"Wait, so when did you meet each other?" Aubrey asks, confused.

"You probably don't remember," Sara says, looking back at their younger sister, "You were going through your teenage Goth period. Very self-absorbed."

"Hey!" Aubrey says, affronted.

Will just chuckles. "It was at Georgetown," he explains, "You two were helping me move into my new apartment. I, uh, ran into Alicia, and introduced you guys."

By the look on Alicia's face, she appreciates 'ran into' as a euphemism for 'made out like a couple of horny teenagers who haven't gotten any all summer'. And by the transparently fake cough Sara makes beside him, he knows she remembers catching them.

"Our mom did always want to meet you," Sara says, her smile mischievous.

Alicia tilts her head in Sara's direction. "Your mom?"

"Sara…" Will warns feebly.

"Yeah," Sara continues, ignoring him, "Back in the day… she heard a lot about you."

"Okay, then!" Will says, laying a hand on Alicia's forearm to redirect her attention, "Thank you for that, Sara."

"No problem, little brother."

He sees Sara grinning and filling Aubrey in on the juicy details as he leads Alicia further into the apartment. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be," Alicia says, a teasing smile on her face, "This is payback for all the times Owen has embarrassed me in your presence."

"So," he says, eyeing her purse and seeing no massive files tucked inside, "Were you here for business—" he takes a step closer "—or pleasure?"

He tries to put a hand on her waist but she slides away. "Well, neither now," she replies, coy, "You've got company."

"I can throw them out immediately."

Alicia laughs. "You'd throw out your own sisters?"

"For sex with you? Absolutely."

"How'd you know I'd say 'pleasure'?"

"Oh, now you're just being mean."

"I'm gonna go," Alicia says, squeezing his hand gently.

"You really don't have to."

"I know, but—" she checks her watch "—might as well get to court a bit early."

He walks her back to the front door, Alicia saying a quick goodbye to Sara and Aubrey as they pass the living room.

He returns to a smirking Sara. "Alicia Cavanaugh, huh?" she says, "Does _she_ drink jasmine tea?"

.

He's out with Sara one night, about a week after the apartment incident, and it just so happens to be at the exact same restaurant Alicia has chosen to have dinner with a client. They had known about each other's plans, but they had not planned _this_. It's a small dining room, so even though he and Sara get seated at the opposite end of the restaurant, they're still afforded a clear view of Alicia's table. She's already halfway through appetizers when he arrives, and upon noticing him, quickly schools her surprised expression into an amused one.

"Serendipity," Sara says, smiling over her menu.

"Oh, don't say that." Will makes a face. "I hate that word."

They order a bottle of wine to go with their dinner, and after Will has exhausted Sara's arsenal of stories about his little five-year-old niece, she returns to her favourite subject of late.

"I'll say this, she's the best girlfriend you ever had."

Will glowers at her. "She was never my girlfriend."

"Oh, no? What was she then?" Sara asks, "Because the way you talked about her, the way you couldn't _stop_ talking about her, the way your eyes glazed over at the mention of her name…"

"You make me sound like I was—"

"—in love?" Sara fills in.

"We never went out." He sighs. "Alicia was… I don't know, the smartest person I had ever met. She was brilliant and funny and—" he looks across the room at her, stares, really, for a good ten seconds "—gorgeous." He pauses, stares some more. "We were friends. One of my best friends at Georgetown. One of my best friends _today_."

Sara takes a sip of her wine. "So, what happened?"

"When?" he asks.

She raises her eyebrows. "Back then."

He shrugs. "We had moments. A lot of moments."

"And nothing ever came of those moments?"

He blushes, as if suddenly realising that he's talking to his sister.

Sara smirks. "Yes, William?"

"It was college Sara," he replies.

"And what is that supposed to mean exactly?"

"It means we studied together, sometimes we crashed at each other's apartments… it means there were drunken and not-so-drunken make-out sessions and, yes, several times that led to—"

Their main course arrives at that moment and Will's thought is interrupted. There is silence as Sara cuts into her filet mignon, takes a bite, and Will pokes at his surf-and-turf.

"You know what you are?" Sara says, out of the blue, like the thought has just occurred to her, "You and Alicia are a romance movie."

"Come again?"

"If your lives were to be made into a movie – that would be your genre," Sara says. "Star-crossed lovers—"

"—doesn't that mean we're doomed?"

She shushes him. "You two meet in college, right? You have this young love thing going, but it ultimately doesn't work out. She marries somebody else, you part—"

"—you sound like Aubrey right now—"

"—but then, her life turns into a tragedy—"

"—really? A tragedy?"

"—and who does she go to but her college sweetheart?"

"Okay, I wouldn't really use the word 'sweetheart'."

"Granted," Sara makes a face, "having an affair isn't very Disney—"

He raises his finger in objection. "She was already separated from her husband—"

"—but whatever," she eyes him knowingly, "She's the great love of your life."

"Sara, what crack pipe have you been smoking from?"

"I'm serious, Will. I see the way you look at her."

"I try not to think about that stuff when it comes to Alicia." He tries to sound okay about it, because he's learned a long time ago that idealism only gets you trampled. "And even if she _is _the great love of my life, that doesn't mean I'm hers."

She sobers, actually sounds serious, "I just want you to be happy, baby brother."

He smiles, takes his sister's hand from across the table. "Don't worry about me, Sara."

She returns his smile with a wry one of her own. "That'll never happen."

The two of them look up to the sound of footsteps approaching their table, and suddenly the subject of their conversation has materialised in front of them. "Hi Sara," Alicia says, "It's nice to see you again."

"Yes," his sister responds, "Quite a coincidence." She smiles. "We were just talking about you."

"Oh really?" Alicia raises an eyebrow. "Good things, I hope." A waiter, at Will's subtle request, brings over an extra chair. "Oh, thanks," she says, taking a seat. "But I was just heading out."

"No, stay," Sara says, extending an arm out, "We never got a chance to talk the other day. We should get to know each other better."

_Real subtle, Sara_, Will thinks, giving his sister a look.

"And we've just ordered dessert," Sara adds. "I'm sure Will won't mind if you take his."

Alicia chuckles, eyes him, but doesn't make any further motions to leave.

* * *

><p>He likes to buy light-coloured pillowcases – ivories and creams and off-whites – because of the way they offset her dark hair and even darker eyelashes. A silly, pathetic reason, but when it comes to Alicia, he tends to be a bit silly and pathetic. It's Saturday, early morning, and they're both lying naked in his bed. His hand is drawing patterns across her back as she lies in a light sleep on her stomach.<p>

"That feels nice," she murmurs.

He places a kiss on her shoulder. "Sorry if I woke you."

She turns onto her back and he extracts his hand. "Don't be," she says, eyes still closed, "I like waking up next to you."

He leans over, kisses her, wants to capture this moment. She's romantic in the mornings, her words less filtered than they normally are. It makes him want to tell her things so he can get an unfettered response. "Stay with me," he says, "For the rest of the weekend."

"What if I get called into work?" she asks, voice still raspy with sleep.

"Then you get called in. And you can come back when you're done."

She hums, thinking, then, "Okay."

Lining his body right up against hers, he starts to place kisses on her neck. "Good."

She tilts her head for him and teases, "Are you going to make it worth my while?"

He grins and palms her breast, replies with a mumbled, "Am I ever."

She lets out a throaty laugh. A laugh that turns into a sharp inhale of breath when his lips travel down her body and stops at one puckered nipple. He suckles it gently, pinching and rolling the other with his thumb and index finger, before moving on and leaving her breathless for more. She grips the sheets with her hands when his mouth suddenly finds itself between her legs. "God, you smell so good," he says, just before he covers her with his mouth. "I could do this for hours." It looks like he's going to try when he starts with a shallow touch: just his tongue rasping along her skin, his lips running all along her slit, his stubble grating exquisitely against sensitive flesh.

"Will," she gasps, quivering and trying to control her movements. "Please."

He hums, the vibrations shooting straight through her core, and then his tongue is sinking into her opening, short thrusts that have her panting and arching against him. She's close, he can tell, and right when she doesn't think she can take any more, he wraps his tight lips around her clit – a spot he's since ignored – and sucks. Hard. She cries out and her body twists away from him, unable to handle the extreme sensation, but his hands reach up to pin her down by the hips. Her thighs squeeze around him in response and she moans incoherent words as he continues to lap at her: long, firm licks from her clit to her opening and back again until she comes, dripping all over his lips and chin and shivering from the intensity.

He wipes his mouth on the sheets before crawling back up to find her lips. "How was that?" he says playfully. "Enough to keep you here?"

She peers at him through heavy lidded eyes. "I don't know," she says in her smoky bedroom voice, "I have yet to be thoroughly convinced."

"Really now?" he stutters over the words when he feels her hand wrap around his painfully stiff erection. She positions him at her entrance, rubbing his sensitive head back and forth until he has to grab her wrist and stop her.

"You keep doing that and you won't get a chance to see how thorough I can be."

She throws her head back and laughs, and then she's throwing her head back for another reason altogether. "Oh," she breathes out, when he sinks into her slowly.

He pauses when he's buried deep, brushing back sweaty strands of hair away from her face in order to kiss her closed eyelids. "You okay?" he murmurs.

"Mhm," she replies dreamily, caressing his neck and shoulders. She shifts, lifting her hips to create that perfect angle, and then he's moving on top of her: long, unhurried strokes that have her tracing his back with light scrapes of her fingernails. Each steady thrust has her clenching around him, gripping him tight and deep so that, within moments, he's breathing heavily against her skin and pushing into her with more pressure.

"Yes," she gasps, "That feels so good."

The next time he withdraws, he slams into her and she bucks upwards with a moan. "Oh. Ohhh," she vocalises, her legs wrapping around his waist as she rocks up to meet his next thrust.

Their rhythm becomes hard and erratic and he groans, his eyes squeezing shut as he concentrates on each squeeze of her tight passage pulling his entire body taut with glorious tension. Her name is on his lips when he spills into her, when he pulses into her warmth.

She whimpers when he slips out of her and he trails a hand across her stomach. "Did you…?" he starts.

She doesn't shake her head, but her eyes are still firmly closed and the way her thighs rub together clues him in to how on edge she still is. "Oh, 'leesh," he murmurs, the nickname tumbling out before he can self-correct, "I'm so sorry, I didn't—"

"—it's okay," she says, voice low, "I already—"

But his hand is already spreading her legs apart, with three fingers inside of her before she can finish her sentence. He fucks her fast, twisting and curling his fingers, and using his thumb to rub her clit in quick succession.

"Oh god," she pants.

"That's it," he urges. He captures a nipple between his teeth, sucks it to the widening of her eyes, and then she's tangling her fingers into his hair – keeping him there – while she rides his hand into ecstasy.

.

Alicia doesn't get called into work that day or the next. They stay in Will's apartment for the rest of the weekend.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Will mentions having a niece in season one, so unless the writers forgot, I didn't make that up. I did, however, make up the name. Also, I've taken liberties with Will's sisters._

_Finally, please review and tell me what you think. :)_


	4. June

_June_

There are things, Alicia has realised, that are really good about people thinking you're sleeping with the boss. She had always thought of it as a dirty accusation, had only seen all the bad that had come along with that association – not getting credit for her own advancements within the firm, for example – but she's beginning to think there are aspects she had overlooked.

A coup has been brewing at Lockhart & Associates ever since Will had been suspended: David Lee, Julius Cain, both vying to take over as Diane's new partner; third and fourth years all trying to figure out the new pecking order; equity partners getting nervous about the future. All of it makes for a, if not always _vicious_, strained work environment. And Alicia doesn't like it. Sure, she can be competitive and intense with the best of them, but she could never be completely cold-blooded. Not like Will could.

Because there is an aspect of Will's personality that is very cutthroat. It's a part of him that gets compartmentalised so that, when needed, he is willing to do whatever it takes to win. He can be ruthless and people can see that. There's that boyish charm, but then there's also an underlying don't-fuck-with-me attitude that others have ample reason to take very seriously.

She hadn't realised it at the time – and Will probably hadn't either – but because of their close connection, people hadn't dared to fuck with her either. Will had, consciously or not, looked out for her. And then there had been the fact that she could count on him to back her up ninety percent of the time.

There are no such certainties now.

Alicia knows that she's good at her job: the law comes naturally to her, and she's never had to try as hard as others in order to perform just as well or better. This kind of gift drags up feelings of resentment and jealousy in people. It always has. Fortunately, in her current job, these feelings had gone well concealed over the years in the face of her tacit ability to persuade one of the name partners. Now, however, with Will out of the picture and the awareness that things are changing, Alicia is no longer granted that kindness.

In that moment, as she's lying on the couch with Will – head on his lap, with his fingers stroking through her hair – she recalls the amount of people who have offered her jobs over the past three years: jobs with higher pay and better hours. Jobs she had never considered taking because she had pledged her loyalty to Lockhart/Gardner. Lately she's wondering if it had really been her loyalty to Will, and just Will, that had stopped her. After all, Will had helped her when she'd needed it; he'd been a friendly face in the type of job where _true_ friendly faces are hard to come by; and it certainly hadn't hurt that it gave her a valid reason to see him every day. She'd gotten to spend time with him again, and she'd realised just how much she had missed him.

These days there are no professional excuses to be made as to why she has to see him every day. There is only the personal between them now. And that feels okay; it feels more honest.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks, interrupting her thoughts.

"Nothing," she says, and then knowing how bad that answer sounds, "Just work. You know."

He nods. "Well, we can watch something else, if you want."

She laughs and pats his hand. "That's very big of you to offer—" he's watching some big sports play-off thing "—but I wouldn't want to deprive you."

"I mean it!" he protests.

She places a kiss on his inside wrist. "I know you do." She grins. "That's why I'm saying no."

"I'll make it up to you," he says, trying to sound all seductive.

"Hm," she hums, a twinkle in her eye, "I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

><p>"No further questions." Alicia turns away from their last witness and spots a familiar face walking into the courtroom, trying his best not to draw attention. Will slides into a bench on the defence's side three rows back. He knows that she's noticed him, but he's trying his best not to distract her with his sudden appearance during the trial.<p>

Once the judge gives out instructions and dismisses the jury, Will gestures that he will wait for her outside. They are maybe three minutes apart in leaving the courtroom, but somehow when Alicia finds him, Will's already gotten into a clearly uncomfortable conversation with Peter in the hallway. She overhears them as she approaches.

"Are you here to observe the trial?" Peter asks, transparently aware that Will's less interested in the case and more interested in the trial's defence attorney.

"I am," Will answers.

"You miss court?"

"I have other things taking up my time."

"Really?" Peter says, "Other things?" His eyes are sharp and suspicious.

"Other things." Will is inches away from dangerous territory. "Other people besides clients."

It would be almost laughable how cool these two grown men are trying to be, if it weren't so painfully tense. Alicia steps in before it can get any worse. "Hi Will," she says, "Peter."

She and Peter have regressed, much less amicable than they were those months right after Grace's disappearance. It has a lot to do with that conversation in her kitchen during Will's grand jury investigation – the first time Peter had gone and actually questioned her about Will – and it hasn't improved since. Alicia had told him nothing was between them then and maybe Peter had believed her, but if the current look on his face is any indication, Peter is right back to assuming – correctly, though that truth has never mattered to him – that she and Will's relationship is on again.

"Alicia," Peter greets. He eyes the way Will touches her forearm in acknowledgement.

"Zach is driving directly to your place after school," she says, going for the only agreeable topic between them, "Grace will be at a friend's house, but I told Zach to pick her up afterwards so if you can make sure he doesn't leave Grace taking the El like the last time."

Peter nods. "'Course." He checks his watch, just an excuse to make a smooth exit, and says. "I'll talk to you later, Alicia." He and Will exchange a nod and then he's gone.

"We bumped into each other," Will explains, because how else would he have managed to get himself into that situation. "Literally."

"I was going to ask."

"You think it's going to be quick deliberation?"

She shakes her head. "No."

"So you have time to grab something to eat?"

Her smile is his answer and they start to walk out of the courthouse. He wants to take her hand, she can tell, but he holds back. They both hold back because they have to. She's starting to think maybe she doesn't want to anymore.

* * *

><p>He's tracing her collarbone with his index finger as he lies, propped up on his side, above her.<p>

"You miss it, don't you?" she asks, staring up at him with clear green eyes.

"What?" he asks, trying to play dumb.

"Work. Being a lawyer."

"Sometimes."

"You're bored. I can tell."

"Well, I'm not bored of you," he says, attempting to change the path of this conversation.

It doesn't work. Of course it doesn't. Alicia sits up, the sheets falling and exposing her for a second before she reaches down and grabs his earlier discarded t-shirt from the floor. "So you don't get distracted," she says, putting it on.

"You're half-naked in my bed," he responds, leaning into her, "It's a little too late."

He gets the Alicia-look for that comment. "I'm serious, Will," she says, "Talk to me."

"About what? I'm suspended." Will knows he sounds exasperated, and yeah, he might be getting a little bored with all of this free time, but there's nothing he can do about any of it. So he's trying to think about what it felt like for those first few weeks, when the idea of sleeping regular hours, getting to go to the gym, and not feeling bad about turning off his cellphone had been novel.

"And I'm just trying to understand how you're feeling."

"That's ironic, you know," he replies. "You gave up the law for a hell of a lot longer than I have."

She nods. "Yes. But I've also changed since then."

_You haven't changed that much_, he wants to tell her. In his office that day, when he had been trying to decide the fate of his future, he had sat there in front of her and he had known. He would take the six months. It'd be the right thing to do. Alicia had been – is still– his moral compass, because no matter what, she had always tried and _will_ always try to do right by her family and the people she loved. He had traded places with her that day because in order to do right by _her_, he had to pay for the consequences of his actions.

"Look, Alicia," he says now, "Everything's fine. Really."

She shakes her head. "Will—"

"—stop," he cuts in, "You're asking because you think it's your fault. You just feel guilty."

Alicia pulls away immediately. She goes so far as to swing her feet off the bed, ready to get up and away from him.

"No." He grabs her arm. "Alicia, don't."

"Why not?" She's ticked.

"You wanted to talk. So, let's talk."

"I don't feel guilty, Will."

"Yes, you do."

"Are you telling me I _should_ feel guilty?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"This wasn't your fault, Alicia. The grand jury, my suspension, it's not your fault."

She wrenches her arm away from him. "I know that."

"No," he presses, "you don't."

"Stop it, Will."

"Alicia—" he slides up behind her "—you didn't make me take money from a client's account. No matter how I ended up here, grand jury or not, it doesn't excuse the fact that _I_ did wrong. At the end of the day, what I did was a disbarable offence. And I'm paying for it with this suspension."

Her shoulder sags. "This only started because of me. Because you and I… because Peter…" she's frustrated with herself. "This never would have happened if it hadn't been for me."

"Maybe," he concedes, "but then _we_ wouldn't have happened either. And that outcome would be worse. Much, much worse than this one."

She turns around to face him again. "Will, I'm sorry." Her voice is a whisper.

He cups her face with his hands, brushes his thumb across her cheek. "How many times do I have to say that it's not your fault before you'll believe me?"

Alicia shakes her head, looks down. He backs up until he's leaning against the headboard, pulling her with him so that she's curled up into the vee of his legs. When she finally looks up, her eyes are glassy with tears.

"It's my fault, too," Will says, brushing back pieces of her hair.

"Will, no."

He nods, sweeps his fingers over her lips in an effort to quiet her protests. "I tried to protect you, Alicia. And I failed. I never meant for you to get involved with the grand jury investigation."

She takes his hand away, entwines their fingers together. "That wasn't you. That was Wendy trying to do whatever it took."

"Right," says Will. He pauses, weighing how much he wants to reveal, but one look into Alicia's bright eyes and— "Kalinda and I tried to distract her – Wendy – with the McDermott case, but it didn't work."

"What are you talking about?"

"Wendy figured it out anyway." He squeezes their clasped hand. "I didn't want her to get to my real vulnerability."

"Your real…"

"You."

.

Oh. _Oh_. That's it, isn't it?

Many things have brought Will Gardner down: gambling, bad risk management, an unhealthy lust for winning… but there's only one thing that could really make him fold like a deck of cards.

His ultimate natural weakness, and Wendy Scott-Carr had exploited it.

_Oh, that's dangerous._

She's perched on her knees now, staring at him, her voice a whisper. "You'd give up everything for me, wouldn't you?"

He nods once, certain. "Yes."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

.

* * *

><p><em>AN: This chapter was a bit heavier on the emotions and angsty on the issues, but in order for a realistic happy ending, I think these discussions need to be had. Hope it didn't turn anybody off and that it read okay to you all!_

_Please review and let me know._


	5. July

_July_

A non-descript brown folder drops unceremoniously onto Eli's desk in the middle of his lunch. "What's this?" he asks.

The young man eyes it, then him, and then walks right back out. He hadn't been hired for his conversation skills. Eli wipes his hands on a napkin and opens the file. The material – a half-a-dozen black and white photos taken with a long-focus lens – is not unusual; the issue lies with the subjects. He looks up beyond the glass walls of his office and diagonal into that of Alicia Florrick's.

"Eli," she says when he opens her door after a perfunctory knock, "What do you need?"

He sits down, composed, indifferent, in one of the chairs. "Could you take a look at this for me?" he asks, leaning forward a little to place the folder onto her desk.

She gives him a curious look, but doesn't question it, merely does as he asks. He has to give her credit: she doesn't react as he expects. When it comes to her personal life, he's learned, she has a tendency to get a bit impassioned. This time, though, she simply flips through the pictures, briefly narrows her eyes, and says, "Have you been spying on me?"

"Peter's up for the governorship."

She leans back in her chair, "So that's for certain then."

"It's ninety percent certain."

"Uh huh." She's unfazed. "That doesn't answer my question."

"I'm trying to look out for you."

"For me?" She crosses her arms. "Or for Peter?"

"When it comes to this," he answers, "It's one and the same."

"So, what? I'm not allowed to have dinner with friends now?"

Eli reaches across the table, flips open the file, but she slaps her hand down on the pictures before he can touch them. It doesn't matter. His exhibition piece is right on top. "This," he says, "is not dinner with a friend." He points to the picture of Alicia with Will sitting cosily at a restaurant, fingertips millimetres from touching on top of the tablecloth. "This is dinner followed by a movie followed by an invitation back to his place."

"Peter and I are _separated_."

"Look," he responds, unapologetic, "I'm only keeping up with the opposition."

"And since when does the opposition care about my dinner plans?"

"They don't, not right now, but they will when the race really starts to heat up and they realise that the competition's still technically married wife is following in her husband's footsteps."

"Hey," she snaps, eyes cutting, "Don't you dare go there."

"Look," he says, "I don't much care who you share a bed with—" Alicia looks ready with a vicious retaliation, so he barges on "—but if you don't want this _particular_ part of your private life joining the media news loop, I'd suggest you be more careful. Because if my people can figure it out, so can theirs."

She doesn't answer for a second and then, "I'm keeping these," she says, brandishing the folder.

His smile in return is not unfriendly. He likes Alicia, he really does. "This hasn't gone further than you and I," he says, trying to reduce the sting of the information.

"And the photographer."

He shakes his head. "I wouldn't worry about him."

* * *

><p>Zach feels out of place in his cargo shorts and sandals. It's summer vacation and he has a day of joyous nothing planned. That morning he had considered calling some of his buddies over to play some video games, but his mom had phoned and asked if he could drop by her office and help her with yet another technology issue. Which is why he's currently leaning against the receptionist's desk waiting for her. He's been trying to help his mom out more, trying to make up for all the ways his dad had hurt her, and spending a lazy summer day at her office is nothing he can't handle.<p>

He's playing with his iPhone when his ear perks up to the _ding_ of the elevator and then the familiar voice of his mom.

"Did Diane call you?" she's saying.

A male voice answers. "Yeah. Last minute. I had plans to spend the day with Lilly here."

Their voices get louder as they get closer. His mom is talking again. "You said your sister and her husband are out of town?"

"For a couple of days."

"So you're just going to have her sit in on the meeting with you?"

"Yeah, I don't know how that's going to work."

"Zach!"

Zach looks up to the sound of his mom calling him. Instead of just one pair of eyes, though, he's met with three. Turns out, the male voice talking to his mom had belonged to Will. And Will, in turn, has a little kid tagging along beside him.

"Hi mom." He pauses a little before he says, "Hi Will."

"Hey Zach."

Will sounds cooler than the last time they had met. Looks cooler, too. Instead of a suit, he's wearing slacks and a short-sleeved blue button up. His mom, on the other hand, looks just as nervous. Zach wants to roll his eyes. He and Grace aren't stupid. He sees the way his mom and Will act around each other, and he and Grace notice how weirdly quiet their dad gets when Will's name is mentioned. They may not have any concrete proof, but the two of them are sure Will Gardner's more than their mom's boss and old college friend. They're just waiting for the day their mom decides to 'fess up.

"So…" Zach says now before the beat of silence becomes awkward, "I looked at your computer, mom, and I couldn't see anything wrong with it."

"It wasn't the computer," she says, "It's my tablet. Grace was messing with it last night and I think she did something with it."

Now Zach really does roll his eyes. "I told Grace not to touch it. She doesn't even know what she's doing."

"Zach," his mom has that tone in her voice, "It's fine. I'll talk to her."

"Hey Alicia?" Will touches his mom's arm. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure," she answers. Will and the kid have gone about three steps when—"Oh, hey Will!"

"Yeah?" he turns back around.

"I've got an idea about Lilly." Her eyes flick down to the little girl's and then to Zach, and he knows he's about to get volunteered for something he doesn't necessarily want to do. "Zach can look after her while you're in your meeting." Yup. That's it. "Won't you Zach?"

He holds his mom's eyes, and he doesn't know why she wants him to do this but she does. So, "Yeah," he answers. "That's fine. I'll do it."

Will looks sceptical, though, as if he knows better than to believe a teenage boy on summer vacation is willing to babysit. "It's okay," Zach says, trying to sound reassuring. "I have to help my mom anyway."

Will smiles gratefully. "I will make it up to you, Zach," he says. He squats down next to the little girl. "Hey Lil, did you hear that? You're going to spend some time with Alicia and Zach here. Just for a little while until Uncle Will finishes his meeting, okay?"

Zach is impressed with how readily the kid accepts this proposition. She walks right up, pulls on the hem of his mom's dress, and asks, "Can I have some juice?"

"Um. Sure," she replies, smiling a mom-smile and looking down at the kid.

Lilly's wide brown eyes stare back for all of three seconds and any lingering apprehension turns to complete trust. It has to be the mom vibes, Zach thinks, because there's no way all little kids are this impressionable. Will leaves them then, and he follows his mom and Lilly into her office.

Everything is fine for the next forty-five minutes or so because his mom's actually working from her desk and keeping an eye on the kid at the same time. He's kind of amazed at how she can carry on a juvenile conversation and work on whatever crazy lawyer thing she has going and not screw up on either when he can't even go on Facebook chat and do simple algebra at the same time.

He's basically done fixing her iPad when Eli says he needs to borrow his mom and she shoots him an apologetic look.

"Zach, do you think you can—"

"Mom, don't worry about it," he replies, because there's nothing else he can really say and he wants her to think he can be responsible. Fifteen minutes later, though, it's clear he needs reinforcements. He calls his sister.

"Yeah, what?" she answers.

"You're a girl," he says.

"Great. Thanks for reminding me."

"Are you busy right now? Where are you?"

Wherever she is, it's loud. "At the movie theatre," she answers.

"Finishing?"

"No. Starting. I just got here."

"Can you get to mom's office?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He glances at Lilly. It's a little unnerving, the way she's sitting on the couch, swinging her tiny feet back and forth, just staring at him. "Except… I kind of need your help."

"I'm helping you or mom?"

"Me."

"Then, no. I told you I was hanging out with my friends today."

"Look, can you just get here? Take a cab. I'll pay you back."

"_What_ do you want me to help you with?"

"God, Grace," he says, annoyed, then, "You owe me! For last week. I covered for you with Grandma."

There's a pause over the line where he can only hear the sounds of people talking in the background. "Fine," Grace finally grumbles. "I hate you."

His sister does not look impressed when she shows up.

"_This_ is what you needed my help with?" she says, "It's a five-year-old girl, not an alien."

"I don't know what to _do_ with her!" he says. "I don't know girls."

"That's for sure," Grace mumbles.

"Oh shut up."

"So, you said she's _Will's_ niece?" she says this pointedly.

"Yeah," he nods, knowing exactly what she's thinking because he's been thinking the same thing.

"And what's her name?"

"Lilly."

"Hm. Cute."

"Sure. Whatever."

.

"Um. Hi?" Alicia steps into her office, slightly confused at the scene in front of her. "Grace, what are you doing here?"

"Hi mom," she peers up from her position on the floor, "Zach called me. Couldn't handle Lilly here." Grace pokes Lilly in the arm and the little girl giggles.

"Right." Alicia gestures to the three of them, currently sprawled out across her floor on their stomachs, heads hovering over two iPads. "So, what are you guys doing exactly?"

"Playing battleship," Zach answers without looking up.

"Sink your battleship!" Lilly pipes up.

Grace gives her a high-five. "We're kicking Zach's as—butt."

"Uh huh. And where did you guys get another iPad?" Alicia asks, sitting down.

She peers over her desk when nobody answers her. "Hello?"

"Yeah, mom, hold on," Grace says, to which Zach finishes, "We're trying to set up our ships."

Alicia blinks. How quickly she gets shut down by both of her children when they have a common interest. "Can you at least reassure me that you didn't steal it?" she says dryly.

"'Course not," they both reply.

"Well, fantastic," she says.

Will steps into her office moments later with the same expression of confusion on his face.

"They're playing Battleship," Alicia informs him blithely.

"Uh. Cool?" he replies. He joins Alicia behind the desk, leaning against her chair slightly as he places a warm hand on her shoulder.

She looks up at him, smiles, is about to say something when—

"I need my iPad back," Kalinda says, stopping at the threshold of Alicia's door.

"Really Kalinda?" Grace says, in a tone that is laced with both hope and disappointment.

Alicia gives her daughter a look and Grace contritely shuts down the game.

"I have one at my house," Will offers.

Zach perks up at the thought and stares down his sister. "Rematch, Grace."

Grace hands Kalinda back the device and rolls her eyes at her brother. "Oh, it's on." Lilly jumps up and goes to stand next to Grace, her stance a direct mimic. "Lilly and I can take you, right Lil?"

The little girl nods, adorable but clueless. "Right."

Alicia and Will watch all of this with increasing amusement. Kalinda coughs to get their attention. She makes a circular motion, clearly meant to indicate the room, and mouths, "Very domestic."

.

"Can I have the last slice?" Zach asks, skidding to a stop when he hits the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, go for it," Will says, nudging the pizza box in his direction.

"Thanks," he mumbles around the huge bite he's already taken as he hurries back to the living room so he doesn't miss any more of the movie.

Will had brought Lilly, Zach, and Grace back to his apartment, and they had spent the rest of the afternoon playing digital board games and Wii. Alicia had joined them after work and they had decided to order pizza for dinner while watching _Back to the Future_ – a movie Will had been shocked to hear Zach and Grace had never seen. They had loved it, of course, and had vowed to finish the trilogy that night.

"Okay, if you guys are going to insist on staying then I'm going to get some work done," Alicia had said after the first one.

To which Will had replied, "Really Alicia? You're really going to ruin the party by working?"

"I've seen the movie a hundred times! So have you, for that matter."

Will and the kids had let her go, but he had ended up joining her anyway to see if he could help.

"Is it almost done?" Alicia asks now. They're sitting in the chairs along his kitchen counter.

"Yeah," Will replies, "They should be starting the last one soon."

Alicia nods. She had decided to take a break from all of the paperwork and now has Lilly – who had gotten bored not even halfway through the second movie – on her lap.

"Can I please have more, 'licia?" Lilly asks, tilting her head to look at Alicia. She's referring to the strawberries that Will had just washed for them.

"Yeah, of course, honey," Alicia answers, plucking a couple from the big bowl and putting them on Lilly's plate.

Will watches as she takes one for herself, and even though he knows she doesn't mean to eat it seductively, it doesn't change the fact that she looks sexy doing it.

"You're staring," she says, eyes twinkling. "Do I want to know what you're thinking about right now?"

He leans over, gives a quick sideways glance into the living room, and kisses her. It's a lingering kiss, a few seconds longer than usual so he can taste the strawberry on her lips. "Probably not," he answers, pulling back with a cheeky grin. "Wouldn't be suitable for tiny ears."

Lilly wriggles around to check out what they're doing behind her back. "Uncle Will," she says, once she's reassured no fun is being had without her, "I have to pee."

Will laughs and reaches for her, but Alicia stops him. "It's okay. I'll take her. I have to use the washroom too." To Lilly, she says, "Can you keep your hands in the air for me, Lilly?"

The little girl scrunches up her face. "'Cause they're sticky with strawberry juice?"

"Yup, that's right," Alicia replies, hopping off of the stool before letting Lilly slide from her arms and to her own feet.

Will rejoins Grace and Zach in the living room, but when Alicia and Lilly don't return after a good twenty minutes, he gets up to see where they've disappeared to. He finds them in the guest bedroom, where Lilly is staying for the night. It looks like Lilly has managed to convince Alicia to read her a story because the two of them are curled up in one of the big leather armchairs, with Lilly tucked closely into Alicia's side and a picture book between them.

"You smell nice," Lilly is saying and Alicia smiles tenderly at her, stroking a hand through his niece's hair – straight and long and brown just like Sara's.

"Thank you," Alicia replies, "I think you smell nice, too."

Will had never gotten the chance to see what Alicia had been like as a mother back in the day when Zach and Grace had still been little, but he imagines it would be similar to what he's seeing now.

Later, after the two of them have tucked Lilly in for the night and they're standing in the kitchen with their glasses of wine, quietly looking over Zach and Grace, he'll say, "This is nice, isn't it?"

She'll take a sip of her wine and murmur, "Mhm."

And he'll follow up with a casual, "Feels normal."

And she'll smile, a soft expression on her face, and reply, "Yeah, it kind of does."

* * *

><p>Will returns from his pick-up basketball game later than usual. Streetlights filter into his apartment from the window, but it doesn't prevent him from nearly tripping over a pair of shoes. He palms the wall and quickly flicks on the hall light, looking down only to realise that they're <em>Alicia's<em> shoes: a pair of black three-inch heels.

He kicks his own shoes off, drops his gym bag lightly onto the floor, and pads further into his apartment. None of the other lights are on except for a muted glow coming from his living room, the house so quiet that, if it hadn't been for the shoes, Will never would have guessed Alicia's presence.

"Alicia?" he calls quietly, about to say something more when he enters the living room and stops at the sight. Because there's Alicia, curled up on his couch, still dressed in her work clothes, fast asleep. He catalogues the open files strewn all over his floor and coffee table, the legal pad full of notes beside her resting face and the pen dangling loosely from her fingers, and it brings back memories of their late-night study sessions back in law school.

He does what he used to do back then. Going into his room, he pulls a fleece blanket from the top of his closet and gingerly manoeuvres around the paper mine to get to Alicia. Kneeling down at her side, he removes the yellow legal pad, laying it gently on the floor, and silently cheers when he manages to lift the pen from her hand without her waking. He covers her with the blanket and goes to take a shower.

She's still asleep when he finishes and he's loath to wake her. He rests a hand on her upper arm, hesitating, but he has no idea whether the work she's doing is time-sensitive and, if nothing else, her sleeping position and attire can't possibly be all that comfortable. Trailing his hand up the side of her face, he brushes his fingers along the shell of her ear, leaning forward to whisper, "Alicia," as he gently kisses her cheek. He continues to stroke her hair, speaking soft words until her eyes blink open. "Hi," he says.

"I used your key," she murmurs.

He had given her a set of his house keys the other week, a few days after he had basically spent an entire day with her kids and she with his niece and she hadn't completely lost it. At the time, to keep it from being a big deal, he had said, "For emergencies," but this is the first time she's ever used it and that makes him strangely ecstatic.

"Your apartment is closer to the office," she continues, burrowing cutely into the blanket.

"Needed a nap?"

"Mm," she responds, eyes flickering at him, "Tired."

He smiles. "You know you're welcome anytime."

She smiles back and the world feels hushed and subdued around them. He still hasn't turned on any more lights and in the steady, warm glow of the single lamp, her sleepy eyes look greener than usual. He can't resist. Sliding his hand to cup the base of her neck, he bends down to kiss her. She tastes like honey and midnight.

She hums, a sound of dopey bliss, as their tongues map each other lazily and their lips meet under light pressure. He can feel her long eyelashes brushing against his cheek, feather soft, and her fingers on his white t-shirt, grip secure. He presses chaste kisses against the corner of her mouth.

"I want to keep you," he breathes out.

Her hand comes up to his face. She angles her lips so that they press against his ear. "You have me," she whispers.

It's not true, not technically, not socially, not yet. But it's true in all the ways that matter.

* * *

><p>.<p>

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><p><em>AN: And we're back to lighter, fluffier territory (with bonus adorable children)! _

_We have one more chapter to go._

_And as always, I would love your thoughts._


	6. August

_August_

The affection is subtle and that's how he knows it's real.

The light touches they exchange are not territorial, and yet it's undeniable that they belong to each other. They communicate wordlessly: slight twitches of the lips, a sideways glance, a flick of the wrist.

These are the ways she used to be with him.

And Peter can't deny the jealousy he feels when he sees them together. He also can't deny the shambles his marriage has become. With all the pretenses of a real relationship, it's a showy manipulative tactic meant to appease the press and public only.

Peter realises that it doesn't matter what he does now: how he implores or how he fights. Because this is no longer about who loves her more. It's about who _she_ loves more. And maybe seventeen years ago that had been him, but nineteen years ago that had been Will Gardner and it looks like, for those two, love hadn't come with a statute of limitations either.

.

By the time Alicia gets around to telling her children about her and Will's new-but-actually-old relationship, Will has taken to teaching Grace the guitar and has been spending a couple of days a week playing basketball with Zach.

"Hey Zach, Grace?" It's a Wednesday night, after dinner, and Alicia seats herself down on the coffee table in front of her children. She's blocking their view of the television, forcing them to pay attention. "Can you turn that off, please?"

Zach grabs the remote, hits the power button. "What's up mom?"

"I just wanted to talk to you guys about something."

"Okay," Grace nods, clearly eager to get back to whatever they had been watching.

"It's about Will," Alicia starts, hesitant.

"Yeah, what about him?" Zach asks.

Alicia clasps her hands tightly, places them on her lap. "Well, he and I have been seeing each other. Dating—" she pauses at that word "—kind of," then amends, "In a relationship, anyway."

"Uh huh," Zach says, unfazed.

Grace echoes his tone. "We know."

Alicia blinks, clearly having expected a different response, and continues haltingly, "But I want you to know that this only started after your dad and I separated. When I told the two of you that we were trying to work out our marriage, that hadn't been a lie."

"We know that, mom," Grace says.

Alicia still can't believe her kids are so calm about this. "I thought you might feel weird about it," she says, trying to bring up another concern they might have, "since your dad and I aren't officially divorced yet."

Grace shrugs. "Maybe, but—"

"But you're separated," says Zach, "And we just want you to be happy."

"And being with Will makes you happy," says Grace.

Alicia smiles – nearly beams – at her kids. "I am so proud of you two," she says, leaning in and kissing them both on the cheeks, much to their chagrin.

"Really mom," Zach says when he manages to squirm away from her hug, "Did you and Will really think you were being discrete?"

"Yeah mom," says Grace, "We kind of figured it out a while ago."

"You did?" asks Alicia, the question rhetorical, "And you guys didn't care?"

"Well…" Grace glances at her brother, "At first I didn't like it—"

"—me either," Zach chimes in, "When I met Will the first time, it was kind of awkward."

"But now," Grace continues, "Whatever. Will's cool."

"Yeah, we like him," says Zach.

Alicia looks between the two of them. "You know I love you two so much, don't you? You will always, always come first. No matter what."

Grace and Zach look at each other with a roll of their eyes, as teenagers do, and then lean in to hug her. "Yeah. We know."

Lying in her bed that night – sans Will – Alicia thinks about how children can bring people together. If it hadn't been for that day they had with Will's niece, maybe Grace and Zach wouldn't have gotten to know – and like – Will as much as they do.

Then again, children can keep people together too, and maybe that's what she had been doing with Peter: trying to heal a marriage that would never heal because of their children. It had been a good reason, but maybe in the end, it hadn't been the _best_ reason. Still, it'll never be something Alicia regrets doing – trying to keep her family together – just like she doesn't regret the separation. And, she thinks, when the divorce goes through, she's sure she won't regret that either.

.

"How did it go?" Will asks a few days later. It's the first time they've seen each other since Alicia's conversation with her kids. She's supposedly awaiting a verdict, but she's waiting for it with him in his apartment.

"Well," she replies, "Really well. Surprisingly well."

"They're good kids," he says.

Alicia smiles. "Yeah, they really are."

They're in his bed partially dressed – his chest is bare but he has boxers on and she's wearing one of his dress shirts along with her panties – still basking in the aftermath of mid-afternoon sex. Alicia's propped herself up, leaning against the headboard as she checks her phone for messages, while Will brushes her bare legs with light fingers.

"You know what Diane said to me before I started my suspension?" he asks.

Alicia shakes her head a little, eyes still downcast, "No."

"She said I wouldn't last six months. That so much time away from the law would kill me. But, here I am, six months later and I'm okay." He pulls at the shirt she's wearing, gaining her attention while also exposing a shoulder in order to press kisses onto bare skin. "More than okay."

She smiles, puts her phone down. "And why is that?" she asks.

He stops toying with her shirt and sits up, angling his body towards hers. "I think I had forgotten that I could have other things going on, that there were other things worth living for that didn't include making a lot of money and getting ahead." Will meets her eyes and suddenly gets serious. "I've decided I want to – I'm _trying_ to – build a real life for myself. A private life that has nothing to do with the law."

"Okay." She nods, trails off.

"And I want you, Alicia. I want you to be a part of it."

Her eyes widen a fraction. Will's feelings for her have never been a secret, but him declaring things like this is new. Not unwanted, just unexpected.

"I can't go back to just being friends with you, Alicia," he says, "First of all, the sex is too good. I mean, really, that's the most important thing—"

He cuts himself off, smiles when she laughs.

"That is a very good point," she says lightly.

"You want this, Alicia," says Will, serious again, "Don't you?"

He doesn't have to say what 'this' is. She knows. He knows. Hell, her kids know.

There have been some big changes in her life lately, and some big changes that are a long time coming but are just waiting for her to make a move. Now, looking at Will and listening to him make life-altering decisions has her – in the span of a few minutes – absolutely certain about some of those moves.

She eyes him now, makes her own decision. "Will," she says, "When you go back to the firm next month, I don't think I'm going to be there."

"What?" He startles at the abrupt change in topic. "What are you talking about?"

"Louis Canning. He offered me a job."

"Hasn't he been offering you a job for a year now?"

"Yes, but this time…" Alicia shrugs.

"You're considering it," he finishes.

"I'm more than considering it," she says, "I think I might accept it."

He shakes his head. "But why?"

"The pay. The hours."

"Look, if it's about the money," Will starts, "I could talk to Diane. We could work something out."

"No, Will," she says, placing a hand on top of his, "It's not about the money. Well, it's not _just_ about the money."

"Then what?" he sighs, confused at the direction of this conversation.

"It's you."

Will blinks. A stutter. "Me?"

"Yes." Her eyes are clear, bright. "I don't want you to be my boss anymore."

His brows furrow. "You don't want me to—" He stops. "Oh." Pauses again. "_Oh._"

She smiles, open and hopeful, wants him to know she's not just talking about her future job prospects but that she's talking about their future. "It's good timing, don't you think?"

He grins, leans in to kiss her. "Perfect timing."

* * *

><p>.<p>

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><p><em>AN: The writing on this series is so wonderfully fantastic that I know no fanfic could ever come close to the brilliance of TGW writing staff, but I thank you all for indulging me in this fandom anyway!_

_I've truly appreciated every single review and comment and hope you will leave me with some of your final thoughts. :)_


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